The Long Beach State women's tennis team faces a crucial Central Coast roadtrip this week with Cal Poly and fellow ranked opponent UC Santa Barbara on the ledger. The Beach is tied with Cal State Fullerton for first place at 4-0, while the Gauchos are 2-0 in conference play.

BIG WEST AT A GLANCE

UC Riverside Equals Program Record For Wins
UC Riverside’s 4-2 win at Hawai‘i last week improved its record to 11-10, breaking the men’s program mark for most wins as a Big West member. The 2006-07 team had the record of 10. In addition, the Highlanders equalled the all-time mark for wins in a season, with 11 being the initial highwater mark by the 1994 squad.

With four regular season matches remaining plus the Big West Championship, the Highlanders look to finish above .500 for the first time as a Division I program. Moreover, at 1-1 in Big West play, UCR also has an opportunity to record its second conference win for the first time since joining for the 2006-07 campaign.

Cal State Fullerton Ties Program Mark For Victories
Cal State Fullerton made history on Wednesday with a 6-1 victory at Seattle. In winning the match, the Titans improved to 15-3 on the year, matching their best single-season win total from the 1988 squad. They need one more win, starting with Saturday’s home matchup against UC Irvine, to set a program record. The Titans are 4-0 in Big West play and tied atop the standings with Long Beach State.

Big Match In Big West On Tap
The conference slate is in full force heading into the final month of the regular season, and a slew of Big West contests dot this week’s schedule, but perhaps no matchup is bigger than Long Beach State at UC Santa Barbara on Saturday. Both squads are undefeated in Big West play – LBSU at 4-0 and UCSB 2-0. Both teams have won eight of their last 10 matches. They also are positioned just about as close as any two teams can be in the national rankings. UCSB is No. 65 in the latest Oracle/ITA top-75 rankings, while LBSU is No. 67.

The two rivals also feature one of the top doubles duos nationally. UCSB’s Palina Dubavets and Stefani Stojic are ranked No. 16 in the country, while LBSU’s Laura Eales and Hayley Thompson are No. 36.

LBSU carries a 24-match winning streak in regular season matches against Big West competition into Friday’s tuneup at Cal Poly. The Mustangs have lost six straight and are 0-3 in conference action. Counting Big West Tournament matches, the Beach has won 33 straight matches against league foes. The last loss for LBSU against a Big West opponent came on March 2, 2013. Meanwhile, UCSB is coming off an upset of No. 24 Fresno State last week. The Gauchos embark on a stretch of six straight contests against conference opponents.

Men’s Race Looks To Take Shape This Week
UC Irvine sits atop the men’s standings with a 2-0 Big West mark, and has a huge contest at No. 49 UC Santa Barbara looming on Sunday. The Gauchos host Hawai‘i in their Big West opener on Friday, and Sunday’s tilt could be with first place on the line. UC Davis, a winner of 11 straight matches, hosts Big West upstart UC Riverside on Saturday seeking to also go to 2-0 in league play. Cal Poly, the only other team besides UCSB to have not played a conference match so far, opens its league slate against Hawai‘i on Sunday.